Four UK finalists fight for ‘Indian Laughter’ place

The four UK finalists that are set to compete for a place in the grand finale of STAR One’s flagship show ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge’ have been announced.

The ‘Great Indian Laughter Challenge’s’ fantastic four will go head to head for the grueling final on Saturday 24th November 2007 at Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, London, when they compete to impress the panel of celebrity judges.

The judges will decide who wins the once-in-a-lifetime trip to India, where the winner will be having the last laugh, as they join the professionals on the sets of some of STAR TV۪s most popular TV shows.

The UK version of the show will be presented by stand-up comedian Jeff Mirza. The episode will be shown on STAR One UK in January.

The fantastic four to proceed through The Great Indian Laughter Challenge are as follows:

Gurbachan Chadha

Aged 71, Gurbachan Chadha was born in Rawalpindi, before the partition of India and Pakistan. He settled in Delhi, after working for an intermediate period as a Mathematics lecturer in Shimla, and arrived in the UK in 1971. A proud family man, Gurbachan is now established in Whitefield, Manchester and started up with a modest ten-pound note in his pocket. Visiting shop after shop, in the hope of setting up a meeting with various company bosses, Gurbachan would be offered a consolatory cup of tea by the secretaries who consistently informed him that the boss was unavailable, at which point he would retrieve cake and biscuits from his car, before returning to entertain them with his endless one-liners. This would often attract the attention of the bosses, who would thus emerge from the wings, to meet the remarkable man that had the staff in stitches of laughter about the office. Hence, it was through his inimitable sense of humour that Gurbachan managed to climb the business ladder.

Rajesh Srivastava

Aged 35, Rajesh Srivastava was born in Deoria, in India۪s Uttar Pradesh region, before arriving in the UK one and a half years ago, to settle in Ilford. Having studied Engineering at Gorakhpur College, where he also played the role of Cultural Secretary, Rajesh is now a Program Manager for one of the three largest IT companies in India. Rajesh۪s party trick is the art of mimicry, which he uncovered at college, going on to perform at technical colleges throughout the region of Uttar Pradesh. Also a keen writer, much of Rajesh۪s poetry and articles have been published on the website, anubhuti-hindi.org. With the ability to effortlessly mimic no less than 20 Bollywood stars, including Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Raj Kumaar, Mithun Chakraborty and Anupam Kher, Rajesh is ecstatic at the opportunity of partaking in The Great Indian Laughter Challenge in the UK, being a dedicated follower and fan of the previous series. Knowing his passion for mimicry and for the formidable TV show, it was Rajesh۪s wife who first encouraged him to enter the competition.

Mandeep Singh

Aged 26, Mandeep Singh was born in Lakhimpur, Uttar Pradesh, the son of a local advocate. Mandeep arrived in the UK in 2004, and currently works as a

Software Developer in Bournemouth. Renowned among his circle of friends for being the joker in the pack and a full-time prankster, Mandeep creates his own comedy by writing his own jokes and scripts, rather than citing an endless stream of popular one-liners. Mandeep۪s role models are patriotic and spiritual leaders, such as Bhagat Singh and Guru Gobind Singh, who selflessly sacrificed and lived for the benefit of others. Faith is an intrinsic part of Mandeep۪s personal philosophy, and he enjoys every moment of life, living life Singh Size, as King Size is too small. Bollywood star, Akshay Kumar, is one of Mandeep۪s role models, with whom he shares the same birthday. Admiring Akshay۪s on-screen reactions and delivery of dialogues and one-liners, Mandeep is also a huge fan of Bollywood۪s comic veterans, such as Asrani and Keshto Mukherjee.

Mani Liaqat

Aged 23, Mancunian Mani Liaqat is originally from Sialkot, Pakistan. A sales assistant and wannabe professional comedian, Mani۪s other interests include meeting new people, cricket and all things Bollywood. Claiming that he knew he possessed a prize comic streak the day he entered the world, Mani was once mistaken for Salman Khan, except Salman boasts a six-pack, while Mani boasts a sixteen-pack. Mani۪s deceased father is his personal role model in life, while Govinda inspires him on a professional level, and he sees comedy as food for the soul. Mani feels that his purpose in life is to make people smile, and feels that a regular dose of Mani a day is sure to keep the doctor away.